Tired of doves, rainbows and flower-bedecked weapons? In a discursive group exhibition, the SCHIRN heads away from that familiar territory. International artists present works that offer a new, contemporary perspective on this topic.

WHAT IS PEACE?

Peace is not just any old thing like a stone or a chair. It’s not an object, and anyone who views it that way is definitely mistaken. Instead, peace is a process. It manifests itself in interaction and communication – not only between people, but between all the different players within an ecosystem. This viewpoint is fundamentally different from the humanist perspective, which famously places the human being exclusively at the center of everything.

The focus is shifting away from people and towards the environment: to water, to plants, animals, even to inanimate objects. It’s about renouncing the exploitative, ultimately harmful economy that is always focused on human beings. And it’s about a general criticism of the “master of the world” and his strategies of appropriation and utilization.

The exhibition also highlights the fundamental social systems, such as language or rituals of giving and taking, without which human life would not even be possible. All this is being discussed anew from the perspective of peace. The question here is not what peace is, but rather how peace works. How you look at things without immediately wanting to utilize and exploit them. What the politics of flora and fauna actually mean. And so on and so on.

Numerous live events will be taking place throughout the full duration of the exhibition. These include lectures, readings and poetry performances, as well as dance and music, scent-based activities, tastings and much more. The entire program is aimed at participation and is being compiled in cooperation with the participating artists.